Scott wanted Timothée Chalamet to star in Gladiator II. Miles Teller was also considered. Then the creator of “Blade Runner” came across the miniseries “Normal People”, in which Paul Mescal played the main role. He watched all the episodes in one night.
He arranged a meeting for the young actor with producer Doug Wick and co-producer Laura Fisher. They were both very impressed and agreed that he could handle the role, which would be mentally and physically demanding.
The management of Paramount Pictures still had to be convinced. Its presidents, Daria Cercek and Michael Ireland, flew to London especially to see Mescal play the role of Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire” on the West End. The actor later received an Oliver Award for it. “Every label would prefer to have a recognizable star,” Wick said. However, “no one has ever performed as well (as Mescal)”.
When Scott met the actor for a half-hour meeting on Zoom, he was sure that he would entrust him with the role of Lucius. But Mescal had to wonder whether he would accept it. “I had to keep my distance from my first big studio film because it would define my position as an actor,” the “Aftersun” star revealed. “But ‘Gladiator II’ is a dream to work on in a big-budget, major studio film because it’s in Ridley’s hands, it’s rooted in the human condition, and it has a clear emotional language.”
“Gladiator II” entered Polish cinemas on November 15, 2024. Apart from Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger and Derek Jacobi also appeared.